Oceania Sidecar Championship at Gillman Speedway this Saturday night - February 2015

February 4, 2015 by Gillman Media

Two World Champions, the Oceania Champion, and National Champions from four countries are amongst the riders who will contest the Sailun Tyres Oceania Sidecar Championship round at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway Stadium on Saturday night (7 February).

Former world champions Darrin Treloar (NSW) and Mick Headland (SA), and the reigning Oceania Champion, Mark Plaisted (SA), will lead the Australian riders against the British (Mark Cossar), New Zealand (Paul Humphrey) and USA (Joe Jones) champions.

Eight-times Australian Champion Treloar has been in vintage form this season and last month won the South Australian Sidecar Championship and the dyovest.com Sidecar Grand Slam at Gillman but Headland is a twice world champion and an FIM Gold Trophy winner, and Plaisted beat them both in a similar strength line-up to win the inaugural Oceania Championship in Mildura last season, so there will be little between the three Aussie stars, while multiple British Champion Cossar will be more than a match for them if he can repeat last season’s form when he became the first overseas rider to win a round of the national grand slam series.

Other multiple championship winning riders taking part include former Australian and South Australian Champion Mark Mitchell who finished third behind Treloar and Headland in last weekend’s Grand Slam round; multiple New South Wales Champion Grant Bond; and Victorian Champions Warren Monson and Byren Gates.

For nostalgia buffs, four classic Vincent Sidecars, led by former Australian Champion Ken Walker, will take to the track between rounds of the Oceania Championship; and then next generation of riders from three states will take contest the Glenn and Nathan O’Brien Junior Sidecar Cup on the infield track.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday night, 7 February 2015.

Venue: Gillman Speedway Stadium, 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.

Gates open: at 3 pm.

Practice: 5pm to 6pm

Racing starts: at 7.30 pm.

Riders:

Oceania Sidecar Championship (alphabetical order): Grant Bond / Glenn Cox (NSW), Hayden Bond / Brady Cox (NSW), Mark Cossar / Liam Brown (Eng), David Gannon / Raymond George (NZ), Byren Gates / Michael O’Loughlin (Vic), Arron Hartwig / Teagan Hartwig (SA), Mick Headland / Jesse Headland (SA), Shane Hudson / Brad Pitt (NSW), Paul Humphrey / Ben Franklin (NZ), Joe Jones / Darcy Risstrom (USA/Vic), Mark Mitchell / Tom Golding (SA), Warren Monson / Matt Morgan (Vic/SA), Damien Niesche / Mitchell Spear (SA), Mark Plaisted / Brian Anthony (SA), Michael Stace / Jarred Edey (Eng/SA), Darrin Treloar / Blake Cox (NSW). Reserves: Daniel Puddy / Luke Puddy (SA), Ron Parker / Geoff Langdon (SA)

Format: 16 riders x 20 heats plus a last chance semi-final and a final. The 4th to 7th highest scorers go into the semi-final; and the winner of the semi-final and the three highest scorers from the 20 heats go into the final.

Classic Vincent Sidecars : Ken Walker / Jamie Walker (Vic), Rory McEnroe / Tony Kavanti (Vic), Doug Cotterell / Stuart Williams (Vic), Peter Tolley / Ezra Buzzard-Allen (Vic)

250cc Junior Sidecar Glenn & Nathan O’Brien Cup (infield track): Jack Sylvia/Harry Hearne (Vic), Jackson Barbary/Demi Hearne (Vic), Jack Gilbert/Jake Treloar (NSW), Belinda Silvy/Katylen Silvy (SA)

Oceania Sidecar Championship Round 1 Sponsor: Sailun Tyres

Sailun Tyres are a high quality tyre from one of the most technically advanced tyre manufacturers in China. In 2002 several well-known corporations and experts in the tyre industry invested and established Sailun with technological support from the rubber industry and Qingdao University of Science and Technology. Sailun is the first tyre manufacturer to integrate production, research and demonstration techniques, while developing new products, and many experts in the tyre industry have come to Sailun to improve their tyre design theory, technique and test methods.

Admission prices:

Adults $30, Age Pension and Student Concession $25, Children aged 12-15 $10, Under 12 FREE, Family Tickets $70. Parking free. Souvenir programme $5.

Concession is limited Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession Card holders only. A family ticket covers 2 adults and children under 16.

Parking and entrance:

Patrons can enter via two gates, the main entrance at the western end, and the competitors’ gate at the eastern end near the pits. There are parking areas near both gates. The eastern gate will close at 8.30pm.

Weather Forecast: Maximum 36, minimum 24. Mostly sunny. [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]

Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop including the latest Blackchrome manufactured shirts and jackets. Eftpos available only in the souvenir shop.

Food and drink: Full bar and catering available. Food includes hot chips, hamburgers, chicken burgers, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, Chiko Rolls, dim sims, hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee, cold drinks, sweets. Please note a condition of our liquor licence is no byo alcohol or glass can be brought into the venue. Also note no pets, other than guide dogs, are allowed into the venue.

Seating: There are large terraced and grassed viewing mounds and but no grandstand seating, so bring deck chairs or blankets if you do not want to sit on the grass.

VIP Area: The V.I.P. area is available to anyone who would like to treat their business colleagues, family or friends to the best view of motorcycle speedway action in Australia. Any number from one up to fifty spectators can enjoy the elevated view overlooking the track, either from inside the temperature controlled room, on the timber decks, or the enclosed lawn area, for a very reasonable price per person. A fully stocked bar and a variety of food to suit all budgets is available and you can book the whole room or part thereof. Ring Gillman Speedway Manager David Parker on 0403 364 658 or e-mail dave@gillmanspeedway.com for more details.

Directions:

The best way to get to Gillman Speedway is off Hanson Road.

If you are coming from the eastern and southern suburbs, get on to Hanson road off Torrens Road or Grand Junction Road, travel north on Hanson road over the train line then take the first road on the left, which is Wilkins road.

From the northern suburbs, travel down the new Port Adelaide expressway and take the Hanson Road exit. Once on Hanson Road, take the first exit on your right, this is Wilkins road.

From the western suburbs, Wilkins Road is the continuation of Bedford Street, north of Eastern Parade.

For interstate visitors flying into Adelaide and getting a hire car, Gillman is about 20kms, and 30 minutes’ drive (depending on traffic lights) from the airport.

The easiest and most direct way, if not going to your accommodation first is:

On leaving the airport, turn left onto Sir Donald Bradman Drive. Continue along Sir Donald Bradman Drive until you reach the end of the airports grounds and turn right onto Tapleys Hill Road. Once you are on Tapleys Hill Road you can’t really go wrong. You only have to make three or four turns and most of those are simple. Just keep going on Tapleys Hill Road until you can’t go any further. That’s Port Road. Turn left onto Port Road. You can only turn left, you can’t go straight ahead or turn right, so pretty easy to this point. Continue down Port Road for about 1 km to the first intersection which is Grand Junction road and turn right. You only go 700 metres along Grand Junction Road over a bridge over a railway line. Stay in the left lane because at the bottom of the bridge you turn left into Gray Terrace. Go to the end of Gray Terrace (there is a slight detour along Gray Terrace at the moment) and turn right (you can’t go straight ahead) onto Bedford Street. Just keep going on that Road until you get to the speedway. About 2 kms.

Accommodation:

There is plenty of accommodation in Adelaide and suburbs, within 20-30 minutes of the Speedway, ranging from five star hotels to caravan parks and backpacker hostels. The Pavlos Motel on Main North Road, Pooraka; and the Mawson Lakes Hotel and Function Centre, Main Street, Mawson Lakes, are offering a discount to speedway fans but you must ring the venues direct and ask for the Gillman Speedway discount. Full details are on the Gillman website under the information/accommodation tab.

Contact for this meeting: Speedway Manager, David Parker 0403 364 658

Top photo: Defending Oceania Champions Mark Plaisted/Brian Anthony (red) and Grand Slam winners Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox. Photo by Mike Gerlach JDM Photos.